


steady in the cold night sky

by helplesslynerdy



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Childhood Trauma, Current Events, F/M, Foster Care, Found Family, Gen, Mental Health Issues, Past Rape/Non-con, Politics, Psychological Trauma, Watching heroes deal with what Americans are currently dealing with
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-29 19:52:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20087833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helplesslynerdy/pseuds/helplesslynerdy
Summary: When the darkness is within your neighbor, how do you fight it?When your country is falling apart, how do you keep yourself together?When you’re supposed to inspire hope, where do you find yours?A series of vignettes that follow the Justice League as they find their personal answers.





	steady in the cold night sky

_People can’t appreciate quiet. _

_True quiet._

_Even in the silence, thoughts sound, jangling louder and louder until they collide. Shattering upon impa-_

“J’onn?”

He stands up from where he was leaning over the post on the cabin porch, looking towards the man standing next to him. Even in civilian clothes, Bruce is armored up- black leather with more zippers than could possibly be used without forgetting what was where. 

Bruce’s eyes scan his face, nodding once before returning his gaze to the view. 

Taking the out, J’onn’s own eyes slip closed. The air is wet, the sharp smell preceding a summer rain a constant fixture here. He’s too far from civilization to accidentally hear voices when his guard is down- he can listen to the wind moving through the leaves, a bubbling creek passing behind the house, an errant squirrel chirping in the distance. 

Maybe he can get some sleep here.

The wood planks creak under his companion’s feet, breaking the spell.

“I think that we need to have someone here for a while, keeping a lookout on the water cleanup.” Bruce’s hand extends towards him, keys dangling out. 

J’onn’s brow furrows. 

“It’s yours.”

——————————————————————————

_“...and despite an historic tie, the Vice President had to give the deciding vote-”_

Click.

_“...the President has tweeted about-”_

Click.

_“...the appalling conditions in these detention camps-”_

She shuts it off, slumping into her chair. 

_It doesn’t matter._

_Reason, logic. Appealing to people’s sense of human decency._

_Humans would have to be decent first._

The lights of Washington give the city a yellow glow, a false warmth. She goes to stand in front of the floor-length window, forehead leaning against the cool of the glass. A mirthless smile crosses her face. After all this time, the years that stretch past memory, you think she would have learned. Mankind needs its differences, needs its walls. Walls that keep them safe within. 

_The rest of the world be damned._

——————————————————————————-

The trees rush past as his Roadster hugs the mountain curves. Curves that don’t make sense in terms of geographic necessity. No, Bruce muses. _It’s more like somebody let loose an intoxicated donkey and no one bothered to make a sensible road in the aftermath._

A rarely used half-smile tugs at his lips. The stray thought sounds like something Jay would-

His hands tighten on the steering wheel.

_It will work. _

_It will help._

In the waning twilight, the web of branches blurring above him draws his eyes skyward. The natural weave is so different from the jagged Gotham skyline that he watches for more than a few seconds. He suddenly pitches forward as his car slams itself to a stop.

In front of him is a deer, eyes wide in his headlights- the blank terror there dragging up the memory of Jason’s last...episode. Bruce’s eyes squeeze shut as he tries to slow his heart. 

_My boy-_

The deer’s white tail flicks twice, and it meanders to the other side of the road. After a few beats, Bruce presses again on the accelerator, but slower this time.

_It will work._

_It will help._

—————————————————————————-

_“Lois Lane of the_ Daily Planet _was forcibly removed from the premises as she refused to leave the Texas facility…”_

A chirping next to him pulls Clark from the television, a welcome name flashing across the screen. “Hey, Ma.”

“Hiya, honey. Is Lois okay? We just saw on the TV what happened.”

“Yeah, she is. I got a stern no-swooping-in order before she left, but she gave me a call. It’s…“ He takes in a sharp breath. “It’s bad, Ma.” 

“Oh, sweetheart.” 

He blinks furiously. “I can’t even process it. That could have been me, you know? If I didn’t look-“ 

After a long pause, Martha says firmly, “We still would have kept you.”

“I know that.”

“Even with tentacles.”

He huffs out a laugh. “You sure about that?”

“Or pincers!” He can hear his father’s rough guffaw in the background. “Well, it would have given ol’ Pepper apoplexy, but I think we would have managed.” 

“Yeah. Yeah, you would’ve.”

“Tell ‘im we’ll help with the bail money if they need it!” Jonathan adds. 

A real smile finally graces his face. “Tell him thanks, but we’re fine. The paper’s covering this one, anyway.” 

“I will.”

He finds himself staring, the phone still at his ear. 

“You okay, Clark?”

“Yeah- I just...I’m not sure how it’s going to be handled.” 

“You’ll handle it just fine.”

“I can’t just go in punching everyone, can I?” 

“No, sweetheart, I don’t think you can. But I think you’ll figure something out.” 

He sighs, looking at the fierce red of the sunset on Star Trek IV poster in front of him. _If we’re not destroying the environment, we’re destroying ourselves. Kryptonians, humans-_

“I wish I could be as sure.”

**Author's Note:**

> Work title and chapter titles from “Jupiter” by Aoife O’Donovan. 
> 
> I will change tags as needed as I add to this fic.
> 
> Thanks to audreycritter and jaxin for being wonderful betas.


End file.
